
Photo by: Todd Goodrich
Huddleston earns All-Big Sky recognition
11/25/2019 12:30:00 PM | Volleyball
FARMINGTON, Utah – A month ago, Missy Huddleston was a good player, relied upon by her team as a consistent attacker who could score points. She was the model of consistency, too, playing in nearly every set, and was seen as one of her team's top passers.
Over the past month, Huddleston has become a great player, switching to the middle blocker position and flourishing for the Grizzlies. On Tuesday, she was named to the All-Big Sky Conference second team.
The Grizzlies have now received an all-conference selection in back-to-back seasons, after the program went three consecutive years (2016-18) without a single pick. It's one way to show the trajectory that the program is on – one that Huddleston has helped transform.
After all, it's no coincidence that Huddleston's recent surge has coincided with the team's success.
Through the first 19 matches of the season, with Huddleston playing on the right side, she averaged a respectable 2.14 kills per set – which ranked third on the team – and hit at a .134 clip. She averaged 2.42 digs and 0.46 blocks per set. Montana, as a team, had a record of 2-17.
The Grizzlies then moved Huddleston to the middle blocker position in late October, where she received an uptick in production in every way possible. In the 10 matches since, Huddleston is averaging 3.10 kills per set and is hitting .276. Her digs-per-set average is up, to 2.54, but the biggest difference is in her blocking, where she is averaging a league-best 1.15 blocks per set during that span.
Montana, as a team, posted a winning record with her at her new position, qualifying once again for the Big Sky tournament.
Seemingly overnight, Huddleston went from a good player to the league's top blocker and one of its most-feared attackers.
"The thing that is so impressive to me about Missy is she does so much for our team," Lawrence said. "She goes back to serve, she plays defense in three different positions in the backcourt and is our best passer. She never gets a mental break from being a middle blocker, and she's still learning the position. She's constantly switching gears and moving on to the next thing she's responsible for, which is so hard to do and makes it so impressive.
Huddleston has never been flashy, or even seen as the go-to player on her team. She has had her moments where she has put her team on her back and carried them, but for the most part, Huddleston quietly – and consistently – did her thing under the radar and out of the spotlight.
Over the past four seasons, she has played in 114 of Montana's 115 matches. She's started 97 of them, and over the past four seasons has missed just 14 sets (out of 419). Huddleston will finish her career with nearly 1,000 digs and 900 kills, and more than 150 blocks and 50 service aces.
"Missy is someone who has never stopped working," Lawrence said. "She's one of those athletes who gives and gives and will run through a wall for her team. It's so nice, in her senior season, for her to be getting this type of recognition from the conference."
The Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, native was the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks earlier this month, in addition to her all-conference nod on Monday. She is also a one-time Academic All-Big Sky selection and last year was the team's most inspirational player, being labeled by her coaches as fierce, the hardest worker and someone who leads by example and risks it all for her teammates.
Some of her top individual moments include in 2018, when she totaled a career-high 24 kills on .333 hitting in a five-set win over Gonzaga. Facing match point in Set 5, she recorded a kill and service ace coming out of a timeout to put the Griz on top. Earlier this month, she had 17 kills and zero errors (.586 hitting) at Eastern Washington – one of two Big Sky players all season to record 17 kills in a match without an error – and she followed that performance up with 22 kills at a .321 clip the following game against Northern Arizona. She had nine blocks in a match vs. regular-season champion Northern Colorado.
Huddleston will earn her degree in health and human performance in May.
Over the past month, Huddleston has become a great player, switching to the middle blocker position and flourishing for the Grizzlies. On Tuesday, she was named to the All-Big Sky Conference second team.
The Grizzlies have now received an all-conference selection in back-to-back seasons, after the program went three consecutive years (2016-18) without a single pick. It's one way to show the trajectory that the program is on – one that Huddleston has helped transform.
After all, it's no coincidence that Huddleston's recent surge has coincided with the team's success.
Through the first 19 matches of the season, with Huddleston playing on the right side, she averaged a respectable 2.14 kills per set – which ranked third on the team – and hit at a .134 clip. She averaged 2.42 digs and 0.46 blocks per set. Montana, as a team, had a record of 2-17.
The Grizzlies then moved Huddleston to the middle blocker position in late October, where she received an uptick in production in every way possible. In the 10 matches since, Huddleston is averaging 3.10 kills per set and is hitting .276. Her digs-per-set average is up, to 2.54, but the biggest difference is in her blocking, where she is averaging a league-best 1.15 blocks per set during that span.
Montana, as a team, posted a winning record with her at her new position, qualifying once again for the Big Sky tournament.
In just 10 matches, Huddleston recorded 51 blocks. To put that number in perspective, she had 30 blocks in the 19 matches to start the 2019 season. Another way to put it, she had 46 blocks during her entire sophomore and junior seasons, when she was a starter on the left side.There's no stopping Missy Huddleston in the middle! pic.twitter.com/aseWDp3jQt
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) November 15, 2019
Seemingly overnight, Huddleston went from a good player to the league's top blocker and one of its most-feared attackers.
"The thing that is so impressive to me about Missy is she does so much for our team," Lawrence said. "She goes back to serve, she plays defense in three different positions in the backcourt and is our best passer. She never gets a mental break from being a middle blocker, and she's still learning the position. She's constantly switching gears and moving on to the next thing she's responsible for, which is so hard to do and makes it so impressive.
Huddleston has never been flashy, or even seen as the go-to player on her team. She has had her moments where she has put her team on her back and carried them, but for the most part, Huddleston quietly – and consistently – did her thing under the radar and out of the spotlight.
Over the past four seasons, she has played in 114 of Montana's 115 matches. She's started 97 of them, and over the past four seasons has missed just 14 sets (out of 419). Huddleston will finish her career with nearly 1,000 digs and 900 kills, and more than 150 blocks and 50 service aces.
"Missy is someone who has never stopped working," Lawrence said. "She's one of those athletes who gives and gives and will run through a wall for her team. It's so nice, in her senior season, for her to be getting this type of recognition from the conference."
Whatever her role has been, she's always gone along with it as long it was for the betterment of the team. She played her first two seasons on the left side before moving to the right side in 2019. When Montana needed her to move to the middle midseason, she gladly obliged, which has paid off for both sides.Update: Missy Huddleston is still good!
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) October 27, 2019
15 kills on .483 hitting, in addition to 7 digs and 4 blocks! pic.twitter.com/KNmZM9BtTw
The Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, native was the Big Sky Conference Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks earlier this month, in addition to her all-conference nod on Monday. She is also a one-time Academic All-Big Sky selection and last year was the team's most inspirational player, being labeled by her coaches as fierce, the hardest worker and someone who leads by example and risks it all for her teammates.
Some of her top individual moments include in 2018, when she totaled a career-high 24 kills on .333 hitting in a five-set win over Gonzaga. Facing match point in Set 5, she recorded a kill and service ace coming out of a timeout to put the Griz on top. Earlier this month, she had 17 kills and zero errors (.586 hitting) at Eastern Washington – one of two Big Sky players all season to record 17 kills in a match without an error – and she followed that performance up with 22 kills at a .321 clip the following game against Northern Arizona. She had nine blocks in a match vs. regular-season champion Northern Colorado.
Huddleston will earn her degree in health and human performance in May.
Missy Huddleston 3, Eastern Washington 2
— Montana Griz VB (@MontanaGrizVB) November 9, 2019
The senior has 2 kills and a block early in Set 3! pic.twitter.com/fGsTByxxRG
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